The story

Johnson & Johnson announced Monday it will pay $5.5 billion to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its baby powder and other talc products cause ovarian cancer. The settlement covers about 69,000 cases consolidated in federal court in New Jersey and related cases in state court, totaling 99.75% of the remaining talc claims. Plaintiffs' law firms confirmed the deal, calling it a good resolution after a decade-long court battle. The deal must be accepted by 95% of the ovarian cancer claimants in state or federal court before it becomes final.

Johnson & Johnson will pay up to $3 billion in claim payments in 2027 under the agreement, with no further payments due before 2028. The settlement follows a court ruling last week in which a federal judge cast doubt on individual plaintiffs' ability to prove that talc specifically caused their ovarian cancer. Johnson & Johnson's vice president of litigation, Erik Haas, called the claims meritless and said the company was settling to get closure. He said the company was confident it would have ultimately prevailed in further litigation.

Johnson & Johnson has denied that its talc products caused cancer, saying talc was safe and did not contain asbestos. The company stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the U.S. in 2020, switching to a cornstarch product. The litigation resumed in March 2025 after being on hold for more than three years during Johnson & Johnson's repeated failed attempts to resolve the lawsuits through a shell company's bankruptcy. Unlike the proposed bankruptcy settlements, Monday's agreement applies only to existing claims and does not address future lawsuits.